Hong Kong student Sham Pui-yan delivers her speech through live video in Hong Kong on Oct 7, 2020. She emerged champion of the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition (Junior Secondary School category). (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong secondary student Sham Pui-yan won a nationwide English-speaking competition on Wednesday after she gave a speech extolling acts of kindness big and small. 

The 14-year-old Sha Tin College student became the champion in the National Grand Final of the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition with her winning speech, “Kindness is Beautiful”. 

Sham Pui-yan of Sha Tin College became the champion in the National Grand Final of the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition after she gave a speech extolling acts of kindness big and small

Sham won over the judges by video conferencing, as she and three other fellow Hong Kong contestants were not able to travel across the border to the city of Guangzhou, where the competition was held, due to quarantine measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

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Sham began by sharing a moment when a stranger tapped her on the shoulder to tell her that her backpack was open as she handed Sham the wallet that had fallen out onto the ground. A kind soul is beautiful, Sham said. 

She then cited many acts of kindness during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We see countless volunteers rushing to Wuhan to offer a helping hand. We see numerous countries offering medical help to Italy when the country was hardhit by the virus,” Sham said. 

Sham said she was surprised that she won the national award, as she felt a bit nervous. 

Describing her interaction with the judges during the competition as joyful, Sham revealed that her secret lies in enjoying the event as a sharing experience, instead of viewing it as a contest. 

On Tuesday, Sham outshone contestants in the semifinal with her speech, “My Present for the 70th Birthday of My Country”. The speech was prepared for an April competition, which was postponed due to the pandemic. 

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The top three among the 12 finalists were crowned as champion, first runner-up and second runner-up respectively. The other nine finalists received first prizes, while those who made it to the semi-final got second or third prizes. 

For the primary school category, the finalists were awarded first, second or third prizes, apart from the top three, who were crowned champion, first runnerup or second runner-up. 

The three other Hong Kong contestants also excelled. 

Zhou Hanyi of Chinese International School won first prize in the Senior Primary School Category, while Ng Nok-hin from Fukien Secondary School Affiliated School (a primary school) and Carol Chan Ka-lo of St. Paul’s Convent School secured second prize. 

Zhou, 11, said the competition was a valuable experience to practice her public speaking skills. 

In January, the four contestants stood out among thousands of participants in the Hong Kong regional contest, held by China Daily and VDO English, an online English learning platform founded in 2015.